McCrory Says He Will Sign House Abortion Bill

Republican Governor Pat McCrory says he will sign the House version of new abortion rules, if it comes to his desk.

The divided House passed their version Thursday which supporters say will make the procedure safer for women. But opponents argue is a thinly-veiled attempt to shut down clinics and curb reproductive rights.

The Senate passed a different version last week, so the bill goes back to that body to see if it agrees with the House changes.

"I wanted a plan that improved regulations that hadn't been reviewed since the mid-1980s, but I did not want to have further restrictions and that is the commitment that I made during my campaign and I'll follow through on that commitment," McCrory told WITN News.

McCrory was in New Bern today as part of his Main Street tours across the state. He was met by a handful of protestors who held up signs against the abortion law changes.

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A divided North Carolina House has approved abortion rules supporters say will make the procedure safer for women but opponents argue is a thinly-veiled attempt to shut down clinics and curb reproductive rights.

The chamber began the debate Thursday on the measure directing state regulation to increase standards for abortion clinics and requiring doctors performing abortions to remain physically present during an entire surgical procedure.

After nearly three hours of debate, the House voted 74-41. The bill now goes back to the Senate which would have to agree on House changes before it goes to Governor Pat McCrory.

Republican Rep. Jacqueline Schaffer of Charlotte said the bill responds to clinics that have been issued repeated violations in recent years. She said clinic regulations haven't changed since the 1990s and need to be updated.

Democratic Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield of Wilson said the bill has nothing to do with safety but with limiting a woman's choice in reproductive decisions.

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The North Carolina House has begun debate on a bill that would place new restrictions on abortion clinics in the state.

Three hours has been set aside for debate on the controversial bill and that began shortly before 1:30 p.m. House galleries are full of people wearing pink, in opposition to the changes.

Before the debate started, Speaker Thom Tillis warned spectators that the galleries would be cleared if there were any outbursts.

After Republican Governor Pat McCrory threatened to veto the proposal, the House judiciary panel approved a substitute measure Wednesday on a party-line vote in favor of Republicans.

Democrats voting no argued the changes would still result in abortion clinics closing and criticized the process that led to the committee vote with no advance notice.

The full House is expected to vote on the bill later this afternoon.

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A House committee has approved a potential fix for an abortion bill from the Senate to address the concerns of Gov. Pat McCrory about whether it would restrict women's access to obtain the procedure.

The judiciary panel approved a substitute measure Wednesday on a party-line vote in favor of Republicans. Democrats voting no argued the changes would still result in abortion clinics closing and criticized the process that led to the committee vote with no advance notice.

McCrory threatened earlier Wednesday to veto the bill that passed the Senate last week if it reached his desk. His problems centered on requirements that clinics be regulated like outpatient surgery centers and doctors must be physically present for abortion procedures.

The bill's next stop is the full House.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory says unless "significant changes" are made to a bill requiring new abortion rules, he will veto it.

McCrory spoke to WITN during a visit to Wilson Wednesday morning. The Republican governor says 80% of the bill is good, but the other 20% needs to be reworked.

The concern from McCrory's administration is over access. Drexdal Pratt of the agency's division regulating clinics told legislators there are a lot of questions about the proposal and how many abortion clinics would remain open if the bill became law.

A House judiciary committee heard proposed changes Wednesday, particularly on alterations made by the Senate last week directing regulators to develop abortion clinic standards similar to those used to regulate outpatient surgery centers. McCrory's health department was worried about the requirement that a doctor be physically present for the entire surgical procedure.

Charlotte Republican and bill supporter Rep. Ruth Samuelson says the administration is on board with the changes. No one from McCrory's team immediately spoke about the bill at Wednesday's committee meeting.

Parliamentary procedures would ultimately require additional House and Senate votes before the changes would go to McCrory's desk.

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North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's top health administrator says more review is needed before a bill requiring new abortion rules moves along in the legislation process.

The head of the state's Health and Human Services agency addressed the House Health Care Committee on Tuesday. The committee is reviewing the Senate version of a measure requiring abortion clinics to meet regulations similar to those for ambulatory surgery centers.

Drexdal Pratt of the agency's division regulating clinics told legislators there are a lot of questions about the proposal and how many clinics would remain open if the bill became law.

The full House must decide whether to accept the Senate's version or try to forge a compromise with the Senate.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Gov. Pat McCrory says he wants legislators to take a closer look at abortion rules in North Carolina before acting further on legislation that would place higher standards upon clinics.

The governor told reporters at a news conference Monday that he wants the House to debate further a version of a bill hastily moved through the Senate before the long July 4 holiday. A House committee meeting is scheduled Tuesday.

McCrory didn't say specifically what he'd do if the current bill came to his desk. McCrory said last fall he didn't want to sign legislation that creates additional abortion restrictions.

He says there's a fine line between restrictions and protecting the health of women and suggested current clinic rules should be reviewed to see if they're reasonable and being enforced.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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